Bush's Closure

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28220165/

President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq today. This visit comes at the dawn of a new agreement between the United States and Iraq; the exit deadline for United States combat troops is now set for New Year's Eve, 2011.

There are two points I would like to make. The first is, no matter what the Obama administration will claim in the coming years, it is the Bush administration that has agreed to a deadline for withdrawl, and therefore an end to this war. Take that you hippie lefties!

For the record, I am very against a timetable for withdrawl. If I was a terrorist or an Iranian or Syrian, I would put my gun away, mark this date on my calendar, and know at that point my success rate in bringing chaos to Iraq could skyrocket. Iran and Syria will not want a successful, thriving democracy in Iraq; it would hurt their position against the United States. They will not let it happen. They now know they can probably take a few years off, regroup and recruit, and come back full force to destroy what we've done.

The only positives to the timetable I can find are increased support for the mission as a whole; now that we see American involvment will end in the forseeable future, it is easier to give the war the much needed public support it needs. Hopefully American troops will be able to train their Iraqi counterparts to defend their feeble country when we leave.

The second point I would like to make is the falsehood in Obama's Iraq war policy:

"Obama has said that on his first day as president, he will summon the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the White House and give them a new mission: responsibly ending the war."

Despite what the medias tells you, President Bush's stated mission is to end this war as quickly as possible. Take this excerpt from Bush's address to the nation the very night the war started for example:

"We come to Iraq with respect for its citizens, for their great civilization and for the religious faiths they practice. We have no ambition in Iraq, except to remove a threat and restore control of that country to its own people.

I know that the families of our military are praying that all those who serve will return safely and soon. Millions of Americans are praying with you for the safety of your loved ones and for the protection of the innocent. For your sacrifice, you have the gratitude and respect of the American people. And you can know that our forces will be coming home as soon as their work is done."

President Bush's mission has always been to end the war as quickly as possible. However, his standards are simply higher than Obama's. Bush has fought to make sure our sacrifice will stand for itself when we leave; Obama is unable to see the broader picture and is more interested in the short-term gratification of troop withdrawl.

Obama says he will not withdraw the troops unless Iraqi security can be guaranteed. Only time will tell if that promise is remembered.

Until we meet again, goodbye!

PS - Check out these pretty cool links...It is amazing to remember the discussion and mood way back when this all began...

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030319-17.html

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/09/20020912-1.html